Iranian women and Persian music
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Persian music owes partly its maturity to the significant efforts made by accomplished female musicians, instrumentalists and vocalists throughout the history.
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[edit] Persian women musicians in Ancient Iran
Picture of women who are playing a musical instrument can be seen in Persian paintings, miniatures and sculptures remained from ancient times.
[edit] Iranian women musician in modern time
Since Iranian revolution, Iranian female solo vocalists can only perform for female audiences. These women have also been allowed to conduct classes for female students in private homes. Women vocalists may also perform for male audiences only as apart of a chorus. The prominent classical singer Fatemeh Vaezi, has given concerts accompanied by a female orchestra. She has also performed widely in Europe and the United States. Parisa has also assembled a five-piece female orchestra. [1] The well-known classical and folk singer Sima Bina, who is also a visual artist, has been teaching singing to many female students. She has also been able to give concerts for women in Iran and has widely performed abroad.[2]
Ghashang Kamkar also teaches both male and female students. Both Ghashang and Parisa have criticized the patriarchal power structure for its primitive treatment of women artists. [3]
A choir for Iranian women, with fifty-eight members, was established under the Armenian male conductor Gorgin Mousissian. Mousissian's choir, with its repertoire of National songs and folk melodies, performed recently for a mixed male and female audience at Vahdat Hall in Tehran. [4]
[edit] Persian classical music
Perhaps Qamar ol-Molouk Vaziri is the first female master of Persian music who introduced a new style of music and received reputation among masters of Persian music at her time.
Several years later, Mahmoud Karimi trained several female student who later become masters of Persian traditional music.
- Arfa Atrai, Santur musician and writer
- Soosan Matloobi, Master of Persian classical music
- Fatemeh Vaezi or better known as Parisa, Master of Persian classical music
- Masoomeh Mehr-Ali, Master of Persian classical music
- Soosan Aslani, Master of Persian classical music
- Shakila, singer, winner of Persian academy award.
- Delkash
- Simin Ghanem
- Soodabeh Salem, musician and conductor
- Pirayeh Pourafar, founder of Nava Ensemble and Lian Ensemble
- Mehrbanou Goudarzi
[edit] Iranian folk music
- Pari Zangeneh
- Sima Bina
- Mitra Rahbar
- Monika Jalili
- Ziba Shirazi
- Zohreh Jooya
[edit] Persian symphonic music
- Lily Afshar, world class guitarist.
[edit] Iranian popular music
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Many of female pioneers in Iranian pop music, had tranings in classical Persian music. Maestro Ali Tajvidi, in particular trained many female students (e.g.Hayedeh) that later on shifted to popular music. The pioneering figures are:
- Googoosh
- Hayedeh
- Mahasti
- Leila Forouhar
- Pooran
- Sima Mafiha
[edit] Non Iranian popular music
[edit] World music
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
- ^ Fereshteh Mokhtarian, 'Parisa's Voice in the Autumn: An Interview with Ms. Fatemeh Vaezi (Parisa),' trans. Maryam Habibian, Donyayeh Sokhan, No. 45 (1991), p. 23
- ^ [1]
- ^ Fereshteh Javaheri, 'With These Problems of Life, There Is No Time for Art,' trans. Maryam Habibian, Zanan, No. 36 (1997), p. 23.
- ^ Fereshteh Javaheri, 'The Chorus of Life: An Interview with Some Women Members of Vahdat Hall's Chorus,' trans. Maryam Habibian, Zanan, No. 42 (1998), p. 30.